Mail Order Bride - Westward Justice: Historical Cowboy Romance (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 6) Read online

  Dear Sammi,

  Hope you’re doing well. I think your idea is a great one. It shows me just how practical you are; something I greatly admire. So come on out whenever you want. Just let me know so I can pick you up at the depot. We have a lady coach driver named Beth. She’s a real character and keeps a tight schedule. You’ll like her. I look forward to introducing you around.

  Take care,

  Mitch

  Sammi grinned as she read Mitch’s letter. She had succeeded and felt excited about her upcoming trip. Immediately she sent him a response and decided that she would set out at the end of the week. She’d have to give notice at the farm and get packed. Of course, she didn’t own a whole lot outside of her clothes, guns, and knives. Sammi looked at her rifle and knew she wasn’t going to be able to take it with her. It would have to be sold. Then she thought about Joe’s money and figured that she’d be able to buy a rifle in Dawson. Since she wasn’t busy that night, Sammi decided to start packing.

  Dear Mitch,

  I’ll be leaving on this Friday evening so I should arrive in Dawson by the middle of next week. See you then.

  Sammi

  Mitch felt butterflies in his stomach as he read Sammi’s short response. It was Tuesday morning so that meant she might be there tomorrow. Mitch panicked a little because his house wasn’t ready for company. Maybe it would be good if she stayed at the hotel until they saw how things went and he could make his house a little more presentable.

  There was a little paperwork he wanted to get done, so he tried to concentrate on it, but couldn’t. Sherriff Allen hadn’t come in yet and Mitch surmised that his boss had probably stopped at the Grady House for some coffee. Just as Mitch was actually starting to make some headway with the paperwork, Gus Richardson flew into the Sherriff’s office.

  “Mitch! You gotta come quick! It’s the Sherriff! He’s dead!” Gus said.

  “What?” Mitch said as he gripped the arms of his chair. “Where? How?” He rose from his chair and followed Gus out the door.

  “He’s at the Grady House. He came in for some coffee and a cinnamon bun and right in the middle of eating, he fell off his stool. Could be a heart attack. We sent for Doc,” Gus said.

  Mitch’s stomach churned at this news. He respected Travis Allen immensely and had learned a great deal from the man. He ran down the street, overtaking Gus and burst into the Grady House. Sherriff Allen lay prone on the floor. Upon seeing the deputy, Jake Henderson, owner of the Watering Hole, the local bar, backed away. Mitch noted that his face was white. Stepping over to the sheriff, Mitch knelt by him and put his head on Travis Allen’s chest. He felt no rise or fall of his chest and no heartbeat sounded in his ear.

  Mitch raised his head and shook it. Alice Booker, one of the regular waitresses began crying and Jake sat her at one of the tables. Doc Turner came in the door and Mitch moved out of his way.

  “He’s not breathing and there’s no heartbeat,” Mitch told him.

  Doc said, “Ok. Thanks, Mitch.” Doc performed a thorough exam, and then looked sadly at Mitch and said, “You’re right. He’s gone I’m afraid.”

  “Damn it!” Mitch said and pounded a table with his fist. He turned away and looked out the window as he composed himself.

  As he turned back around, Jessie Wilkes, the mayor came into the restaurant. He looked at Travis and shook his head. No one liked Jessie very much, but he was the only one who’d run for mayor last time, so they were stuck with him until the next election a couple of months from now.

  Doc rose from the floor. He grimaced at the pain in his knees from kneeling. He hated it because it just reminded him that he wasn’t getting any younger. “He’s gone, Jessie.”

  Jessie sighed and then turned his blue eyes on Mitch. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  “What?” Mitch said.

  “You’re the new sheriff,” Jessie said.

  Mitch felt a strange hollow sensation in his stomach as he realized it was true.

  Jessie stepped over to the sheriff and would have removed the badge on the left side of Travis’ jacket, but Mitch stopped him. “Don’t do that. He’s gonna be buried with it. There are some extras at the office. I’m going to notify Amelia.”

  Doc said, “I’ll get him to the morgue.”

  Mitch nodded and left the restaurant. He ran down the street to where he had Rico tied and mounted up. He galloped to the Allen residence which was a little ways out of town. Slowing Rico to a walk, he rode up their short drive and stopped. Mitch dismounted and stood gathering his wits for a few moments before going up to the front door and knocking.

  Travis’ wife, Amelia answered the door and smiled at Mitch. Her fondness for the deputy shone in her dark eyes. “Hello, Mitch. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, ma’am. Might I come in?” he said.

  “Certainly, although, Travis went to town a while ago,” Amelia said as she stepped back.

  Mitch followed her and closed the door. “Let’s sit down,” Mitch said.

  Amelia began to get nervous. She recognized the official tone Mitch used. “Is the kitchen ok?”

  “Sure.”

  They sat at the table and Mitch said, “Amelia, I have some bad news for you.”

  “What is it?” Amelia asked with fear in her eyes.

  Mitch took another breath and said, “Ma’am, I’m afraid that Sherriff Allen had a heart attack while he was at the Grady House.”

  Amelia put a hand to her lips and then said, “Is he with Doc? How is he doing?”

  “I’m afraid that he passed on, Amelia,” Mitch said gently.

  “No. It can’t be. He only left the house about an hour ago,” Amelia said as she shook her head.

  “I’m so sorry,” Mitch said. “I wish I didn’t have to tell you this. You know how much I admire Travis.”

  Tears fell from Amelia’s eyes as she said, “He felt the same about you, Mitch. I can’t believe it. Oh, Travis.”

  As she began to cry in earnest, Mitch embraced her and tried to comfort her. “How about I go to Dottie’s and let her know what happened so she can come be with you? You shouldn’t be alone at a time like this.”

  Amelia nodded against his chest. “Yes. Thank you. Oh, my goodness, Mitch,” she said and raised her head.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re the sheriff now,” she said.

  “I guess so, but I wish I wasn’t because then Travis would still be with us,” Mitch said as his throat thickened with emotion.

  Amelia drew back and looked him in the eye. “This is a most horrible circumstance for our community, but I know Travis would approve of you moving into his position. He talked about it, actually. He said when he retired that you would do an excellent job for Dawson.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Mitch said. “I’ll go get Dottie for you. I’m so sorry, Amelia. I can’t wrap my mind around it yet and I suspect I won’t for a long time. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help with the services.”

  “Will you be a pallbearer?” Amelia asked.

  “Of course. I would be honored,” Mitch said.

  He left then and stopped at Dottie Warren’s house. She was Amelia’s sister. Once Mitch had informed Dottie the sad news, he rode to the Sherriff’s office. As he entered it, there was a different feel to the place. He looked at Travis’ desk and blinked back tears. The man had been a surrogate father to Mitch in a lot of ways and they’d had a lot of good times together.

  Mitch smiled as he remembered some of the raunchy jokes that Travis had told him. He had a good sense of humor and a natural compassion for the residents of Dawson. Instead of arresting Boonie, the town drunk, he’d just put him a cell for the night to dry out. Travis and Mitch had frequented the Watering Hole and socialized with the crowd there.

  Travis had socialized everywhere. He said that was the best way to keep a positive presence in the community. Better that everyone enjoy having you around instead of being afraid of the law. It made it easier to d
iffuse tense situations that way. Mitch had taken all of Travis’ teachings to heart and modeled his way of enforcing the law after Travis’.

  Mitch’s reminiscing was interrupted by Jessie.

  “Mitch, you need to get one of those sheriff badges and come with me to the square. The news is travelling and people are nervous. We need to show them that all will be well. You’re the Sherriff now, so it’s on you and me to reassure them,” he said.

  “The man’s not even cold yet, Jessie,” Mitch objected.

  “Mitch, this is part of the job and if Travis was still with us, he’d tell you the same thing. So get that badge and meet me in the square,” Jessie said and walked out the door.

  Mitch looked at Travis’ desk. He knew where Travis kept all of the extra badges but didn’t want to touch the man’s desk. It felt as if he’d be disturbing sacred ground. Then Mitch squared his shoulders and went around the back of the desk. Travis had been a practical man and Mitch knew that Travis would tell him to move his rear and do his job. He removed his deputy’s badge and sat it on the desk. He pulled out the top right hand drawer and saw the shiny sheriff’s badge lying there.

  Slowly Mitch took it from the drawer and pinned it to his black leather vest. Mitch suddenly felt the weight of added responsibility settle on his shoulder. He shut the drawer, took a deep breath and left to join Jessie in the square.

  Jessie’s speech was brief and then he handed things over to Mitch, which annoyed him no end. Jessie was good at putting responsibility on other people.

  Mitch cleared his throat and said, “We have suffered a great loss today, folks. Sheriff Allen was a great man, husband, and father and will be deeply missed by all who knew him, me included. This is all so sudden and hard to take in right now. I was fortunate enough to work with Travis for five years, which wasn’t nearly long enough. Travis loved this community and was a friend to many. He would want us to go on and treat each other the same way that he always did. To that end, I have been appointed Sheriff. I’ll never fill Travis’ shoes, but I promise to do my best to keep the peace and protect the citizens of Dawson. Thank you.”

  The crowd gathered clapped quietly in response to his speech. Some of them came forward to offer condolences to Mitch because they knew how close he had been with Travis. He nodded and said the right words, but inside Mitch felt numb with grief. As soon as he could, Mitch left the square and went to the office.

  Chapter Three

  Beth the coach driver was a woman after Sammi’s own heart. She was tough, independent, and funny. Instead of riding inside the coach all the time, Sammi sat up on the driver’s seat with her so they could talk. By the time they arrived in Dawson, they had become fast friends.

  When Sammi disembarked from the coach, she and Beth shook hands before Sammi grabbed her bags. She had a large tan suitcase that was quite heavy. It was packed with all of her guns and another smaller suitcase held her knives. The third suitcase carried her clothes. She also had a bedroll and a slicker.

  As she waited at the depot, she noticed the stares she drew from men and women alike and smiled. She tipped her hat to some of them. A few of the men smiled but the women looked unsure as to whether they should greet her or not. It always amused Sammi to see the different reactions to her mode of dress.

  She waited for a half hour and then decided that maybe the good deputy had gotten tied up with something. Taking her suitcases inside the depot, she found the clerk.

  “Hi there,” she said.

  Bart Watson looked her up and down and said, “Yeah?”

  Sammi read the disapproval on his face but ignored it. “I think my ride got tied up somewhere. I need to go find them and can’t take all of my bags with me. Can I leave them here to pick up after a while?”

  Bart nodded. “It’s two dollars to store them,” he said.

  Sammi counted off the bills. “Now, I know everything that’s in them. When I come back, if there’s anything missing, there’ll be trouble,” she said as she patted her gun.

  Bart followed her hand movement and his eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. He’d never seen a woman wear a gun before. “No one will bother your things, miss. I’ll see to it.”

  Sammi handed over the money and asked, “Now, where’s the sheriff’s office?”

  Bart gave her the directions and Sammi left the depot. Her long legs carried her quickly down the street. She saw the building Bart had described to her and went in the door. The place was a little plain but it was clean and orderly. Two desks faced each other and there were a couple of tables with lanterns sitting on them. A coat rack stood in a corner.

  A man sat at one of the desks and Sammi assumed that this was Mitch. He was engrossed in something and said, “I’ll be right with you.”

  Sammi didn’t say anything. She took the opportunity to check him out. His sandy hair was cropped close and neatly combed. Sammi liked his broad shoulders and strong arms. He finished what he was doing and looked up at her.

  “Hello, Deputy Taylor,” she said with a smile.

  Mitch’s eyes grew big as he looked at her. His gaze travelled over her from head to toe. Her cowboy boots and form fitting trousers emphasized her long legs and shapely hips. She wore a blue western shirt that she filled out quite nicely. She had a strong jaw for a woman but it didn’t detract from her beauty.

  Her full mouth curved in a smile and her icy blue eyes were filled with humor as she looked at him. From under her dark brown leather cowboy hat, blonde hair flowed down over her shoulders. She reminded him of a cougar; tawny, beautiful and lethal. Mitch noticed the gun belt slung low on her hips and realized who she was.

  He rose from his chair. “Sammi?”

  “In the flesh,” Sammi said and moved closer. She looked up slightly into his warm brown eyes. “I just got in about half hour ago.”

  Mitch closed his eyes and put a hand to his head. “I’m so sorry. I forgot. Um, we’ve had a bad set of circumstances since yesterday.”

  Sammi noticed the sadness in his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. What happened?”

  Mitch said, “The sheriff passed away yesterday and things have been chaotic. I’ve been appointed sheriff now.”

  Sammi looked at his badge. She hadn’t noticed it before. “Dang. I’m so sorry. I know you were good friends.”

  Mitch nodded. “So I’m trying to get up to speed on some things Travis was working on. Plus, I had to put out fires last night, so to speak. A few characters thought that since Travis was gone they could get away with some things.”

  Sammi smiled. “I’m sure they found out differently. You don’t impress me as the type to allow that sort of thing to go on.”

  “That’s right,” Mitch said. “Are you hungry? We could go get a bite at the Grady House.”

  “That would be great,” Sammi said. “When we’re done, I have to get my stuff from the depot.”

  “Ok. Um, I’m not sure where you want to stay,” Mitch said as he opened the door for her.

  Sammi wasn’t used to that kind of treatment, but liked it. “I thought you said you had a house.”

  “That’s right, but like I said, it’s a work in progress and not exactly suitable for guests,” Mitch said. “Then there’s the fact that we’re not married yet.”

  Sammi smiled. “Why, Sheriff, are you looking out for my virtue?” she teased him.

  Smiling, Mitch nodded. “And mine. I’m not sure how everyone would react to the new sheriff shacking up with a woman when they’re not wed.”

  “Ah, the whole public appearances thing, huh?” Sammi said. “I understand. So where am I going to stay?”

  “Well, there’s the hotel,” Mitch said. He had a hard time keeping his eyes off her. She exuded confidence and was certainly pretty.

  “Sammi Jameson!”

  Sammi turned to see Joe Dwyer coming up the street at a trot on a beautiful gray horse. He pulled the horse to a stop and nimbly jumped down. Then she was enveloped in a big hug. Joe picked her up and planted
a kiss on her cheek as he swung her around. Sammi laughed and kissed him back.

  He set her down and said, “You are a sight for sore eyes, girl. How the heck are ya’ll?”

  “I’m just fine and it looks like you are, too, you sexy thing,” Sammi said.

  Mitch arched an eyebrow at that remark. He wondered just what kind of relationship she had with Dwyer and felt a small stab of jealousy.

  “Why, thank you, Miss Jameson. So when did you get in?” Joe asked.

  “Just a little bit ago. Mitch told me about the sheriff passing,” Sammi said as she sobered. “It’s such a shame.”

  Joe nodded. “He was a good man and we miss him already. No offense, Mitch.”

  “None taken. I feel the same way,” Mitch said.

  Sammi said, “Now don’t tell Lacey I’m here. I wanted to surprise her and Jamie.”

  “You got it. We’re you stayin’? You could stay with us. We’ve got plenty of room,” Joe offered.

  “I appreciate that, but I think I’ll stay at the hotel. But I will come to visit, of course,” Sammi said. “There is something else that you could do for me.”

  Joe said, “Name it.”

  “Do you have a good horse I can borrow? I’ll need to be able to get around on my own,” Sammi said.

  Joe made a sarcastic noise. “Do you remember who ya’ll are talkin’ to? Of course I have a horse for you. Whenever you want it, just have the good sheriff here bring you on out.”

  “All right. Sounds good. Remember; don’t tell Lacey I’m here or I’ll crack you on the other side of your pretty face,” Sammi said.

  Joe said, “I promise not to tell her. I really don’t want you to hit me again. Well, I better shove off and get home. I have to watch Lacey like a hawk. She’s always tryin’ to do stuff that she shouldn’t. See ya’ll later.”

  Sammi watched him ride away and laughed. “He hasn’t changed.”

  Mitch asked, “Do you and Joe have history?”

  Sammi looked at him. “Do you mean did we sleep together? No. When I met him, he was already married to Lacey and in love with her. I just helped him get Lacey’s horse to bring home to her. We’re just friends, Mitch,” she assured him.